Surrounded by Tenderness

The world was awakening from the depths of winter.

As Dugu Qing traveled north, the snow melted, rivers surged, and the temperature slowly rose.

Dugu Qing shed his heavy padded clothes and changed into a thin white robe. He immediately felt lighter all over, no longer constrained.

In high spirits, he hummed songs he remembered as he traveled, his beautiful voice as clear as a skylark's.

When night fell, Dugu Qing, Fern, Frieren, and Stark stayed at an inn in a small town.

Frieren lay on the bed, flipping through a Grimoire.

Fern sat at the desk with a pen, sketching and writing in her notebook as she designed a blue battle robe for Dugu Qing.

Its style had to surpass Himmel's.

Himmel's battle robe was too ugly, poorly made, and limp.

Fern's gift to Dugu Qing had to be exquisite and elegant, making him shine brilliantly. She would incorporate every artistic style she knew, striving to make it as perfect as possible.

"Fern, did you know? Tomorrow is Stark's eighteenth birthday."

The room was quiet when Frieren suddenly spoke.

Turning eighteen marked a man's coming of age. It was a major occasion that came only once in a lifetime, and she had already prepared what she would give Stark.

"Star who? Never heard of him."

Fern was completely absorbed in her design, adding every effect she wanted.

"Stark, Fern!"

"Oh, got it. Just give him something."

Frieren looked back and saw Fern hunched over the desk, the wastebasket by her leg full of discarded drafts. She couldn't help smiling smugly.

For Fern to say that, she surely hadn't prepared a gift for Stark.

As it happened, Frieren had a gift in her suitcase that was perfect for the occasion.

Frieren quickly scrambled off the bed, opened her suitcase, and took out one of her treasured possessions: a potion that dissolved clothes.

"Ta-da!"

Frieren gave the purple potion bottle a shake and looked meaningfully at Fern with the eyes of someone who knew.

"A potion that only dissolves clothes. Men, you see, are happy as long as you give them this sort of thing. My teacher said so."

Fern spun around in shock, her cheeks slightly red.

A potion that dis...solves clothes? Why give something so bad... good to Stark?

Wouldn't it be better to save it for Dugu Qing?

Imagining Dugu Qing taking the potion and pouring it over her made Fern's ears burn and her blood race...

Without hesitation, she reached out, snatched the potion away, and put it back in the suitcase.

"Miss Frieren, Stark is still young. You must put this sort of thing away properly and not let him find it."

Frieren opened her mouth and nodded, though she didn't understand.

The next day, on the grass outside the town.

Dugu Qing got up early, bought plenty of snacks in town, and brought them all to the grass to enjoy.

For Stark's birthday, he had already given him the hero's Yellow Robe in advance. His task was complete.

Today was a free day, and he could relax without a care.

Fern came after him from the inn, clutching her drawing board.

The two of them gazed at the distant woods and enjoyed their food, looking like a loving young couple and making others envious.

When they finished eating,

Dugu Qing used Cleansing Magic to obliterate the trash. He lay down in the grass and gazed at the round vault of the sky, where thick, cottony clouds drifted across the horizon.

Fern lay down beside Dugu Qing, the distant river, woods, and mountains faintly visible in her eyes.

But Dugu Qing's breathtaking figure was all she could think of, flashing through her mind again and again, filling her thoughts and dreams.

The sweet fragrance of the girl beside him reached Dugu Qing. He placed a hand over his heart and suddenly realized it was beating a little fast.

"My heart's beating so fast. Am I sick? They say sixty to a hundred beats a minute is normal for an adult. Mine's a little fast. I'm not going to die young, am I?"

Startled, Dugu Qing felt his heartbeat, held his breath, and concentrated, counting each beat.

Several times, he got into the forties, only to forget where he was and have to start over.

"Dugu Qing, what are you thinking about?"

Fern turned over, her delicate face close to Dugu Qing's, her breath fragrant as an orchid.

"My heart's beating a little fast. Is something wrong with it? Could you listen and count how many times it beats in a minute?"

Dugu Qing looked to Fern for help.

Fern was at a loss for words. She had finally worked up the courage to use her charms and capture Dugu Qing's heart.

Yet Dugu Qing was thinking only about his heart rate. He was really something else.

"All right."

After inwardly complaining about how oblivious Dugu Qing was, Fern placed her hand over his heart, but couldn't feel it clearly.

So Fern bent over and pressed her ear to Dugu Qing's heart, her hand resting on his chest as she listened intently.

Dugu Qing thought Fern was simply doing her best to fulfill her duty as a friend, so he said nothing more.

"What a blockhead."

Fern breathed a sigh of relief and lay in Dugu Qing's broad embrace, his alluring scent making her cheeks flush pink as peach blossoms.

She forgot all about what Dugu Qing had asked her to do.

Heart what? Beat what? Never heard of it!

She rested her head gently on Dugu Qing's chest, wrapped her slender arms around his waist, and unconsciously pressed her legs together.

The two nestled closely against each other, an air of intimacy arising unbidden.

Dugu Qing's body grew slightly warm, and he felt that Fern's behavior was a little over the line.

A fine sweat broke out on Fern's palms. She hurriedly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, her breathing slightly hurried.

"Fern sure can fall asleep easily!"

Dugu Qing patted Fern on the back and let her be.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

Half an hour later, Frieren approached across the clearing and looked down at Dugu Qing and Fern.

Fern's breathing was steady. She had already drifted off to sleep, wrapped around Dugu Qing like an octopus.

The two of them were more than improper. They were downright improper.

"My heart was beating a little fast, so I asked Fern to count the beats for me. Then she fell asleep."

Dugu Qing looked at Frieren with a clear, innocent gaze.

Frieren didn't think much of it either. She was a naturally innocent and romantic person, and knew little about anything in the human world, even love. So she didn't understand and paid it no mind.

"Looks like she tired herself out working on the design last night. Dugu Qing, I'll count for you!"

Frieren smiled confidently, took hold of Dugu Qing's arm, and lay down beside him.

She counted Dugu Qing's heartbeats, one by one.

Purple-clad Fern, graceful and shapely, lay on his left.

White-clad Frieren, gentle as jade, lay on his right.

Holding the two girls in his arms, Dugu Qing vaguely felt that something was amiss.

But he was genuinely worried that something was wrong with his body, and he knew he had been open and aboveboard and had a clear conscience, so he thought nothing of holding them both.

"Y-you... you two!"

Stark was passing by the edge of the grass when he saw Frieren and Fern lying docilely in Dugu Qing's arms.

He flew into a rage!

Today's my birthday! I'm supposed to be the main character!

Dugu Qing, why do you have a girl in each arm, surrounded by tenderness?

Can't I even enjoy my birthday in peace?!

Frieren rose gracefully and reminded Dugu Qing,

"I've checked your body. It's perfectly healthy, so don't worry."